Wire handle.



E. CRAIG.

WIRE HANDLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17. was.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

UNITED s'ra'rns Parana ornioa.

EDWARD CRAIG, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO SARANAC IVIACHINECOMPANY, OF BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

WIRE HANDLE. v

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

tion is to provide a wire handle which can be readily attached tobaskets of this kind, in which the two upright portions below the gripof the handle will be held against inward displacement by portions ofthe wire which bear directly against the outer edges of the basket rim,and having horizontally elongated jaws which bear against the basket tohold the handle upright.

Itisalso an object to provide certain'de- V tails and features ofconstruction tending to increase the general efiiciency andserviceability of a wire basket-handle of this particular character.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective of a fruit basketprovided with a Wire handle embodying the principles of my invention.Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of one side portion of said handle.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section on line' 33 in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is aperspective of one of the attaching end portions of the handle, showingthe condition of the same before the sharp prong is bent and insertedoutward through the rim of the basket.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a length of wire bent toprovide a horizontalor handle portion A, outwardly inclined sideportions B, provided with shoulders b which rest upon the cover C of thebasket D, the latter being of the well known form and shape, such asthose used for peaches and grapes and other fruits. Also, the lowerportions of said handles are bent to provide attaching devices E, asshown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 1, the formation and mode of operation ofwhich devices are as follows: The extreme end portion of the wire issharpened and bent outward to form a prong l which extends through therim portion (Z of the basket. From this prong l'the wire extendsupwardly inside of the basket to form a vertical straight portion 2, andis then bent outward and across the upper edge of the basket rim to formthe short section 3, then downward to form the straight vertical section4, then at right angles and horizontally to form the portion :5, thendownward at 6 to form a sharp bend in the wire, then horizontally againto form the bottom section 7, then upward at the sharp bend 8, thenhorizontally to form a straight section 9, then upward to form astraight vertical section 10, which latter then joins the shoulder 72previously described. It will be seen that the two portions 4 and 10 arebrought tight together, and that the portions of the wire immediatelybelow form a T-shaped head which bears hard against the outer surface ofthe basket rim, to serve as a clamping jaw, thereby preventing thehandle from swinging over in either direction. In other words, thisT-shaped head provides an extended bearing of any desired length for thefastening device on the outer surface of the basket, and thus tends toprevent the handle from tipping over in either direction.

In Fig. i the fastening device E, which is the same at both sides of thebasket, is shown in condition to be slipped downward over the side ofthe basket, and to then have the prong 1 inserted through the basket rimby bending the wire portion 2 against the inner surface of the basket,as shown in Fig. 3. The point of the prong 1, when the handle is thussupplied, is just below the portion 7, or may be short enough so that itdoes not quite extend through the basket rim. With this construction,the wire bears hard against the outer corner 11 of the basket rim,thereby preventing inward displacement of the portions B of the handletoward each other. It will be understood, of course, that steel wire ispreferably employed for this purpose, or wire having a suitable amountof stiffness and rigidity, and that when the fastening devices E areclamped on the basket rim, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the said rim istightly gripped between the outer and inner portions of the saidfastening devices.

From the foregoing it will be seen that handles made up in this mannercan be readily applied to the baskets by the users thereof, as thebaskets can be made with holes to receive the prongs 1, or these holescan be made afterward and when needed.

Thus the wire crosses the upper edge of the basket rim and bearsdirectly against the outer corner of the rim, at each side of thebasket, thereby preventing inward displacement of the side portions ofthe bandle away from the basket rim. The fastening devices thus formedby bending the end portions of the wire serve to readily clamp thehandle in place on the basket rim. The inverted T-heads formed by theportions 4:, 5, 6, 7 ,8,9and 10 bear tightly against the rim, preferablyat the outside, and prevent tilting of the basket in the handle.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A basket provided with a wire handlehaving the ends of the wire inserted through the sides of the basket atpoints a distance below the upper edges thereof, the wire then extendingupwardly and over said edges, then downwardly against the basket, thenupwardly against the basket, thereby forming depending jaws, and thenextending across the basket to form the grip of the handle, said baskethaving a thickened rim, and said handle being formed with sides heldagainst inward displacement by portions of the wire which engage theouter and upper edges of said rim, which portions communicate the pullof the handle directly to the outside of the basket, said jaws beingelongated horizontally to form inverted T heads fOr the handle whichbear against the outer sides of said rim.

2. A basket provided with a wire handle having the ends of the wireinserted through the sides of the basket at points a distance below theupper edges thereof, the wire then extending upwardly and over saidedges, then downwardly against the basket, then Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the upwardly againstthe basket, thereby forming depending jaws, and then extending acrossthe basket to form the grip of the handle, said basket having athickened rim, and said handle being formed with sides held againstinward displacement by portions of the wire which engage the outer andupper edges of said rim, which portions communicate the pull of thehandle directly to the outside of the basket, said jaws being elongatedhorizontally to form inverted T-heads for the handle which bear againstsaid rim.

3. A basket provided with a wire handle having the ends of the wireinserted through the sides of the basket at points a distance below theupper edges thereof, the wire then extending upwardly and over saidedges, then downwardly against the basket, then upwardlv against thebasket, thereby forming depending jaws, and then extending across thebasket to form the grip of the handle, said basket having a thickenedrim, and said handle being formed with sides held against inwarddisplacement by portions of the wire which engage the outer and upperedges of said rim, which portions communicate the pull of the handledirectly to the outside of the basket, said jaws being elongatedhorizontally immediately above said ends to form inverted T-heads forthe handle which bear against the outer sides of said rim.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 17th day of March, 1915.

EDWARD CRAIG.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

